A Cost Effective Dental Plan

Even if you have health insurance through your employer or you have purchased it on your own, chances are the plan does not include dental coverage. In fact while 45 million Americans do not have any kind of medical insurance, according to the Department of Health and Human service, more than a staggering 108 Million Americans do not have Dental Insurance. According to Dr. Howard L. Bailit, D.M.D. of the Institute for Oral Health, "Oral health is an essential component of overall health, yet there is a gap between the latest dental technologies and the publics access to them. That's why we need to make greater efforts to speed the adoption of new and more effective treatment technologies to dental practitioners and educators."

Certainly there are many reasons why the public access to sophisticated dental care is limited - and many people simply neglect their teeth, however the high cost of dental treatments and the significant lack of people with dental coverage to help defray the cost is without a doubt a large factor.  A recent ADA study found that nearly one-third of the people who do not go to the dentist regularly say it because of the cost. Enter Discount Dental Plans as lower priced alternative to expensive dental insurance. According to The National Association of Dental Plans (www. nadp.org) "With an estimated 45 percent of Americans not having any type of dental coverage, and the dental insurance marketplace offering few, affordable dental products for individuals, discount dental plans are an attractive answer to the need to reduce consumer out-of-pocket costs and increase access to care."

Discount Dental Plans are similar to discount medical plans, in that you pay a fee to join a group that receives a full range of dental and oral health services from dental practitioners who participate in the plan. Quality Discount Dental Plans can cost less than 80.00 a year for an individual, less than 150.00 for a family, making these plans much more cost effective than traditional dental insurance. Discounts range from 10 to as much as 60% on most dental procedures including crowns, braces, root canals, and dentures. Some plans even offer discounts on cosmetic procedures, and also have additional practitioners like vision professionals and chiropractors participating in the discounts. If you have traditional health insurance that qualifies you for a Health Saving Account, (HSA) the money you pay to join a discount dental plan and subsequent fees paid for discounted services can be withdrawn without penalty as legitimate expenses from you HSA. According to the NADP "Discount dental plans have become an economical and important alternative to combat the rising cost of health care. They are a cost-effective vehicle for millions of underserved consumers to improve their access to dental care."

Simply put, Discount Dental plans are a great way to improve your oral health while taking a little less of a bite out of your wallet.